Presently, there is an ever increasing demand to obtain high quality products which has resulted in a significant increase in the use of non-contact inspection systems. In order for a complex machine to operate as designed, it is necessary that all of its sub-components comply with quality criteria. In some manufacturing settings, many customers require 100% inspection of component parts. For example, flanged or headed fasteners used in the automobile industry and elsewhere often must be individually inspected to determine if they meet spatial form criteria.
Numerous types of inspection systems are presently utilized. One type of system uses contact probes which touch a component at various points to determine if its dimension or profiles meet certain criteria. However, contact devices have inherent limitations in that they are subject to wear and generally require that the component and the contact probe be accurately positioned during the evaluation process. Moreover, such devices are generally slow to operate and are limited in terms of the number of criteria and complexity of profiles which they can evaluate. A variety of non-contact systems are also known using a variety of techniques. For example, ultrasonic inspection systems examine reflected sound waves as a means of characterizing a component. Various systems based on photo detection utilizing single channel photo detectors are also known. In addition, laser gauging systems are used in which specific dimensional measurements can be obtained.
Although non-contact inspection systems are presently in use, there are numerous improvements to non-contact systems that continue to provide advancements in accuracy and capability. Conformance of threaded workpieces is an area of particular importance requiring improved inspection systems to ensure workpiece conformance. There is a need in the art for a noncontact gauging system for improved inspection of threaded workpieces to improve identification of non-conforming parts.